FINALLY I am starting another build!

Take us through building your guitar step by step. Post pictures and tell us what you're doing.
ruby@magpage.com
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Location: Chestertown Maryland

Re: FINALLY I am starting another build!

Post by ruby@magpage.com »

Nice looking rosette - very colorful. Were the pieces cut to the diameter when you got them? Good choice with the Redwood

Ed
Ed M
Kevin Sjostrand
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Location: Visalia, CA

Re: FINALLY I am starting another build!

Post by Kevin Sjostrand »

They were curved pieces sold as a rosette. I think I shrunk the diameter about a 1/4". Yes it looks really good on the redwood for sure
Kevin Sjostrand
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Location: Visalia, CA

Re: FINALLY I am starting another build!

Post by Kevin Sjostrand »

Top bracing is all glued on. Started carving, but didn't get that finished this weekend. TOO hot in the shop
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Kevin Sjostrand
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Re: FINALLY I am starting another build!

Post by Kevin Sjostrand »

Well I've done a terrible job at blogging this build. I just wasn't taking pictures as I went along and there is no excuse!!
This is where I'm at as of yesterday. This guitar has come along pretty well. I routed the neck mortise and tenons on Saturday, and that went well.
I got the angle I wanted over the soundboard almost spot on, however my center line alignment was off quite a bit. I was perplexed as I was right on the centerline of the body when I put it in the jig and routed the mortise. What I figured out was even though the neck end of the body was flat in both directions, the area where the neck heel sits against the body was NOT square to the center line. Good Grief!! I know I will be adjusting the alignment at the heel cheeks for final settings later, but this was of too much, so I sanded this area again and got it pretty close to square, and of course flat again. I am still off a bit but only about 1/8" at the tail end of the guitar so this will be an easy adjustment once the neck is carved. I was also checking the neck alignment down the center of the truss rod slot, but that slot is off center a bit. So I still have some figuring to do. I will get my fret board cut and sized and pinned to the neck before I make any more changes to the neck itself.

The pictures show the abalone on the top and back. I used the last of the laminated strips I got from Duke Luthier years ago and had just enough. He is not selling this material any longer and the price was so super reasonable. This is the 3rd guitar I've done with those strips. Cost was less than $50 to do both top and back.
Solid shell, or the flexible strips will run what, at least twice that amount just to do a top????

Next step will be to make up the fretboard. It is ebony, and will be bound in EIR, same as the binding on the body.
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Kevin Sjostrand
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Re: FINALLY I am starting another build!

Post by Kevin Sjostrand »

one more pic
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phavriluk
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Re: FINALLY I am starting another build!

Post by phavriluk »

I was wondering if the Martians had snatched you...
peter havriluk
Danl8
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Re: FINALLY I am starting another build!

Post by Danl8 »

Gonna be a pretty guitar. What thickness did you go with for the top?
Kevin Sjostrand
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Re: FINALLY I am starting another build!

Post by Kevin Sjostrand »

Peter, actually they did! But they brought me back last month.

With redwood, you have to go a little bit thicker. It is at .110" right now, but after I do my final sanding it will come down about 5 thousands.
This is the 4th guitar using a redwood top. One was a classical. I really like it.

This one has some light colored grain lines in it. Not sure how it will look under the finish, but I'm optimistic.
Kevin Sjostrand
Posts: 3712
Joined: Sat Feb 09, 2008 8:06 pm
Location: Visalia, CA

Re: FINALLY I am starting another build!

Post by Kevin Sjostrand »

Some more progress.
The fretboard is made, to size bound with cut offs from the same board. There will be round abalone dot markers.
The headstock veneer inlay pocket was done on my cnc machine. The MOP Sjostrand was hand cut by De'Paule folks in Vietnam, so the match is not perfect, but
hey probably as good as I do when trying to rout it by hand. I epoxied the inlay in last night.
Hope to sand it down tonight and see how it comes out.
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jread
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Re: FINALLY I am starting another build!

Post by jread »

super duper nice! Can I ask how your pearl logo was cut? I've designed a logo but cutting out crisp letters seems over my skills. I considered outsourcing it to Depaule but perhaps I just need to keep practicing or am missing out on a technique? I use a jeweler's saw and small files. I keep thinking it would be easier to cut out with an inlay tool but haven't tried.
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